Gas axe



Oct. 13, 1964 c. R. WEINERT GAS AXE Filed March 29, 1963 INVENTOR. C 4R1 R. IVE/N677- United States Patent 3,152,417 GAS AXE Carl R. Weinert, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Federal Laboratories, lno, Saltshurg, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 269,024 9 Claims. (Cl. 42-1) This invention relates to an axe-like device for use by law enforcement agencies to assist in capture of criminals from a locked room inside a building or dwelling.

On a number of occasions police must capture and remove an armed criminal from behind a locked door of a room in a rooming house, hotel, motel, building and the like. Such a room may not have a window through which tear gas can be directed, or if the room has such a window, surrounding circumstances in the building or in the neighborhood may render inadvisable shooting of tear gas into the room from outside the building. In such cases, the policemen can rush the door or batter it down, but in doing so must necessarily be opposite the door and thereby exposed to gunfire from the criminal within the room. Such gunfire normally takes place through the closed, locked door and can inflict serious and mortal wounds on the policemen. Thus, there have been unsatisfactory ways of safely capturing armed criminals in locked rooms and of rendering them substantially unable to harm or wound law enforcement ofiicers.

My invention provides a device for safely and easily delivering an antipersonnel gas such as tear gas into a locked room inside a building. Specifically, it comprises an axe with a handle and a hollow cylinder mounted upon the handle and defining interiorly thereof a gas chamber. Connected to the cylinder and into the chamber is a hollow tube for conveying gas from the chamber into a room. This tube extends outwardly from a wall of the chamber an amount suficient to penetrate and extend through a door or wall of a room of a building. The tube has a smaller peripheral dimension than the peripheral dimension of the wall of the cylinder from which it extends. The cylinder provides a mounting for disposition in the chamber of a device for producing an antipersonnel gas. This cylinder is located on the handle of the axe in a position which, together with the connection of the tube to the cylinder, is such that a swing of the axe is adapted to drive at least the outer free end portion of the tube through the door or wall.

Preferably, the tube is pointed at its outer free end to assist penetration of the door or wall. Also, the mounting of the gas producing device provides for attachment of a firing means to the device in a position where the firing means is located exteriorly of the cylinder.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention by a vertical section view thereof.

Referring to the drawing, my gas axe comprises an elongated handle 1 to which is welded at one end a hollow cylinder 2 made from a metal such as stainless steel, capable of withstanding gas pressures sufficient to assure delivery of tear gas from the cylinder. This cylinder defines a chamber 3 interiorly thereof and includes a sleeve 4 disposed transversely and perpendicularly of the handle with the handle being welded thereto. A first cap 5 is threadedly connected to and closes one end of the sleeve and a second cap 6 is also threadedly connected to and closes the other end of the sleeve to form the cylinder.

The first cap 5 provides a detachable mounting for a tear gas grenade 7 within the cylinder so that when the cap is screwed onto the sleeve 4, the grenade is located in the chamber 3. As shown in the drawing, the cap has a threaded bore 8 extending therethrough and receiving a coupling 9 which projects outwardly on both sides of l the cap. The grenade is attached to that part 10 of the coupling on the inside of the cap and a fuse 11 is joined to that part 12 of the coupling 9 on the outside of the cap. Accordingly, when the cap is screwed onto the sleeve, the grenade is in the chamber and the fuse for discharging same is onthe outside of the cylinder where the fuse can be operated by pulling a ring 13 connected thereto.

The second cap 6 has a threaded hole 14 which extends therethrough and which receives one end 15 of a hollow tube 16. The tube projects outwardly from the cap at right angles thereto and has a pointed outer free end 17 for penetration of a door or wall. As shown, the tube extends linearly from the cap, is connected into the chamber and provides a gas flow conduit for conveying tear gas from the chamber 3 into a room. With the cap attached to the sleeve, the tube 16 is in a plane which extends at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the handle.

The tube projects outwardly from the exterior side of the cap 6 an amount sufficient to penetrate the thickness of a door or wall of a room and to have the outer end project into the room when driven through the door or wall.

The diameter of the tube is less than the diameter of the cap so that a part of the cap surrounds the tube and is a stop which limits and prevents penetration of the cylinder into or through the wall or door. Preferably, the outside surface 18 of the cap abutsthe exterior surface of the door or wall against which the axe is swung and through which the tube penetrateato effect a crude seal between the axe and the door or wall for confining gas delivered into the room within the room.

In the event the tube becomes clogged with debris from swinging the axe against a door or wall, whereby gas will not flow from the chamber through the tube and thereby generates a pressure build-up in the chamber, I provide the cylinder 2 with a safety device 19 which eifects a gas fiow connection between the chamber 3 and atmosphere when gas pressure reaches apredetermined amount. The safety device is a nipple 20 with a central bore 21 extending therethrough and a thin copper disk 22 at one end and disposed to completely close the bore. The other end of the nipple is sealingly joined to a short projection ring 23 which is welded to the sleeve 4 and completely surrounds a hole 24- extending through the wall of the sleeve to provide a gas flow connection between the copper disk 22 and the chamber 3. The thickness of the copper disk is such that when the gas pressure in the chamber reaches a given amount, the disk ruptures and provides an escape for the gas from the chamber to atmosphere. In this way the cylinder does not explode in the event the tube becomes clogged and prevents gas flow. The pressure at which the disk ruptures is below that pressure which the cylinder can withstand.

Use of the axe involves mounting a tear gas grenade inside the chamber with the fuse disposed on the outside of the first cap 5. Then the axe is swung like a sledge hammer hard against the door or wall of a room of a building with the axe in position so that the tube engages and penetrates the door or wall. After the tube has penetrated the door or wall, the ring 13 is pulled to actuate the fuse and discharge the grenade and generate tear gas for delivery through the tube into the room. Preferably, the axe is used against a door rather than a wall to avoid clogging the tube with plaster or other similar building materials.

One outstanding advantage of the axe is that a person can stand to one side of the door and swing the axe thereagainst, thus avoiding exposure to gunfire by the criminal through the door. Also, once the tube has penetrated the door, the person can discharge the grenade from the position to one side of the door by pulling the cord connected to the fuse. Accordingly, the axe cannot only be swung against the door, but also the grenade discharged from a position to one side of the door, thereby avoiding exposure to gunfire through the door.

A second important advantage of the axe is an effective device for use in capture of criminals which spares the law enforcement men exposure to gunfire when making a forced entry into a locked room.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A gas axe comprising a handle, a hollow cylinder mounted upon said handle at substantially one end thereof, said cylinder defining interiorly thereof a gas chamber, a hollow tube connected to said cylinder and into said chamber for conveying gas from said chamber, said tube extending outwardly from a wall of said chamber an amount suificient to penetrate and extend through a door or wall of a building or of a room of a building, said tube having a sufficiently smaller peripheral dimension relative to the peripheral dimension of said wall from which it extends that said wall forms a stop with said door to prevent penetration of said cylinder through said door, said tube extending substantially linearly from said wall and being disposed in a plane which extends substantially transversely of said handle, said cylinder providing a mounting for disposition in said chamber of a device for producing an anti-personnel gas.

2. The axe of claim 1 characterized by said tube being pointed at its outer free end and by said cylinder including a detachable cap which forms a part thereof and which provides said mounting for a gas generating device detachably mounted upon said cap.

3. The axe of claim 1 characterized by said tube being pointed at its outer free end and by said mounting for said gas device providing for attachment of a firing means to said device in a position whereat said firing means is disposed exteriorly of said cylinder.

4. The axe of claim 1 characterized by said cylinder including a detachable cap which forms a part thereof and which provides said mounting for a gas generating device, said device being detachably mounted upon said cap.

5. The gas axe of claim 1 characterized by a device for producing antipersonnel gas disposed in said chamber and means connected to said device for actuating same.

6. In a gas axe having a handle the invention comprising a hollow cylinder mounted upon said handle at substantially one end thereof, said cylinder defining interiorly thereof a gas chamber, a hollow tube connected to said cylinder and into said chamber for conveying gas from said chamber, said tube extending outwardly from a wall of said chamber an amount suflicient to penetrate and extend through a door or Wall of a building or of a room of a building, said tube having a sulficiently smaller peripheral dimension than the peripheral dimension of said wall from which it extends, that said wall forms a stop with said door to prevent penetration of said cylinder through said door, said tube extending substantially linearly from said wall and being disposed in a plane which extends substantially transversely of said handle, said cylinder providing a mounting for disposition in said chamber of a device for producing an antipersonnel gas.

7. The invention of claim 6 characterized by a device for producing an antipersonnel gas located in said chamber and means connected to said device for discharging same.

8. The invention of claim 6 characterized by said tube being pointed at its outer free end and by said mounting for said gas device providing for attachment of a firing means to said device in a position whereat said firing means is disposed exteriorly of said cylinder.

9. The invention of claim 6 characterized by said tube being pointed at its outer free end and by said cylinder including a detachable cap which forms a part thereof and which provides said mounting for a gas generating device detachably mounted upon said cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,797,785 Miller Mar. 24, 1931 1,823,304 Weller Sept. 15, 1931 2,001,405 Abbott May 14, 1935 2,779,284 Kane Jan. 29, 1957 2,846,817 Haislet Aug. 12, 1958 2,938,412 Walker May 31, 1960 

1. A GAS AXE COMPRISING A HANDLE, A HOLLOW CYLINDER MOUNTED UPON SAID HANDLE AT SUBSTANTIALLY ONE END THEREOF, SAID CYLINDER DEFINING INTERIORLY THEREOF A GAS CHAMBER, A HOLLOW TUBE CONNECTED TO SAID CYLINDER AND INTO SAID CHAMBER FOR CONVEYING GAS FROM SAID CHAMBER, SAID TUBE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM A WALL OF SAID CHAMBER AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO PENETRATE AND EXTEND THROUGH A DOOR OR WALL OF A BUILDING OR OF A ROOM OF A BUILDING, SAID TUBE HAVING A SUFFICIENTLY SMALLER PERIPHERAL DIMENSION RELATIVE TO THE PERIPHERAL DIMENSION OF SAID WALL FROM WHICH IT EXTENDS THAT SAID WALL FORMS A STOP WITH SAID DOOR TO PREVENT PENETRATION OF SAID CYLINDER THROUGH SAID DOOR, SAID TUBE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY LINEARLY FROM SAID WALL AND BEING DISPOSED IN A PLANE WHICH EXENDS SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY OF SAID HANDLE, SAID CYLINDER PROVIDING A MOUNTING FOR DISPOSITION IN SAID CHAMBER OF A DEVICE FOR PRODUCING AN ANTI-PERSONNEL GAS. 